Almond Maple Biscotti

Preheat oven to 350 F. Pour the whole almonds on a shallow baking sheet. Toast them lightly in the oven for 5-7 minutes. Remove them from oven and turn off the oven. When they have cooled, chop them coarsely and set them to the side.

Mix maple syrup, melted butter, brandy, almond extract and vanilla extract in a large bowl until uniform. Add chopped almonds and eggs and mix until combined.

Add white whole wheat flour, baking powder, and salt and mix just until combined. Cover dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

After dough has been refrigerated, preheat oven to 350 F. You will need to wet your hands to handle the dough because it will be sticky. Remove dough from bowl and separate it into two logs that are about 16 inches long and about 2 inches wide. Place sections of dough on a shallow baking sheet (I just use the one the almonds were on previously). At this point, my hands are always a little sticky. Wash the dough off your hands, wetting them again. Then pat the logs so they have a smooth surface. This just makes for a prettier cookie. Bake until lightly golden, about 30 minutes.

Remove pan from oven. When the logs are cool enough to handle, cut them into 1/2 inch slices and lay the slices cut side down on a baking sheet. Finish baking for an additional 20-30 minutes. The cookies should feel mostly firm when done. Remove from oven.

These store well in an airtight container for about 2 weeks at room temperature. (And they taste even better after a couple of days.)